Conveying mechanism



July 24, 1962 P. s. HUTCHINSON ET AL 3,045,728

CONVEYING MECHANISM Filed April '7, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS PHIL/P 5. HUTCH/NSO/V DAV/D L. SPA/VJER THEIR ATTORNEY July 24, 1962 Filed April '7, 1959 P. S. HUTCHINSON ET AL CONVEYING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS PHIL/P .S. HUTGH/NSO/V DAV/D L. SPA/VJER THEIR ATTORNEY 3,045,728 CGNVEYING MECHANISM Philip S. Hutchinson, Lachine, Quebec, and David L. Spanjer, Baie dUrfee, Quebec, Canada, assignors, by mesne assignments, to llbis Enterprises Limited, Hamilton, Bermuda, a body corporate of Bermuda Filed Apr. 7, 1959, Ser. No. 804,656

8 Claims. (Cl. 144-208) This invention relates to conveyors for elongated cylindrically shaped members of different diameters and is particularly described as a conveyor for a log debarker having a rotary debarking device to maintain logs of various sizes coaxial with axis of rotation of the debarking device.

It is important, in delivering logs of various sizes to a debar-king device rotating about a fixed center, to maintain the log coaxial with the axis of rotation of the device and to engage the log along its length to prevent the log from rotating or oscillating.

It is an object of this invention to provide a log conveyor mounted on a pair of arms laterally disposed from a debarking device, adapted to maintain logs of various sizes coaxial with a rotating debarking device and minimize the tendency of the logs to pop out from between the jaw-like structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a conveyor adapted to receive various size logs and to prevent the logs from rotating or oscillating due to the forces exerted by the action of the debarking device without destroying the surface fibers engaged by the contact surfaces.

Another object of this disclosure is to provide a conveying device for logs of varying sizes having extended contact surfaces maintained coplanar to provide contact along the log length.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a conveyor for logs of varying sizes having extended contact surfaces comprised of a plurality of spaced protruding cross members so disposed in the conveyor such that their tendency to cock is minimized.

These and other objects will become apparent by reference to the following specification and drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of a conveyor and a related debark-ing device in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional elevation taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3+3 of FIG. 2, and 7 FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the points of contact between the conveyors and indicated logs of various sizes.

7 Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a por-.. tion of a log debarker 10 having a transmission 12 and a debarker device 14 adapted to rotate about an axisZZ.

A pair of arms 16 pivot about axes RR and are intercon to each other and to the axis ZZ. Movement of one of the arms 16 about its axis R will cause the second arm 16 to move an equal distance in an opposite direction and Famed Jul 24, Iss2 to maintain the endless belt type conveyors 34 carried on the ends of the arms 16 equidistant from the axis of rotation ZZ of the debarker device 14. The conveyors 34 move toward and away from each other along intersecting arcuate paths in the plane YY. The arms 16 and conveyors 34 carried thereby are similar and only the upper arm and conveyor will be described; corresponding parts of the second arm and conveyor being identified by corresponding numerals.

Each of the conveyors 34 are power driven by means (notshown) and are connected to the drive linkage 20 extending from the transmission 12 by a drive shaft 22. Mounted on the drive shaft 22 is a pair of roller elements 24, spaced from each other and adapted to engage endless belts 36. Spaced from the drive shaft 22, in a direction parallel to the axis ZZ, is an idler shaft '26- which carries similarly spaced roller elements 28 also adapted to engage the endless belts 36. The driving shaft 22 and the driven shaft 26 are carried in the end frame 34} of the arm 16. Support members 32 extend between the roller elements 24 and 28, are also mounted on the end frame 30and engage the back of the endless belts 534 to prevent their sagging between the roller elements. A plurality of conveyor grips or flights 38 are connected to the belts 36 at each end thereof and are in spaced relationship to one another.

Each of the flights 38 has a contact surface 40 in part having the form of a stepped edge that follows an irregularly curved, concave profile &2. The irregular curve is a composite are transcribed by radii of unequal lengths. The stepped surface transcribed by the longest radius is on the side of the flight nearest to the pivot axis R of the arm 16, or, on the arm side of a plane YY containing the axis ZZ and parallel to a plane through the two axes RR. The concavity or profile surface 42 is formed by a series of projections or steps 44 and provides sharp retaining surfaces to contact the log to be carried there by. With more specific reference to the configuration of the flight 38, referring to the FIG. 3, it can be seen that when the arm 16 and the associated conveyor 34 is in a horizontal plane, the lowermost portion of the profile 44 is outwardly disposed from the center of the flight relative to the arm and the uppermost portion 52 of the profile 40 is generally above the outer conveyor belt 36. The center portion 54 of the flight 38 is generally coextensive with the profile 4 2 in such a manner that its mass is substantially coplanar with the belt members 36.

. With this arrangement, the tendency of the flight 38- to jamming of the conveyor mechanism 34.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is indicated four different sized logs L which are engaged by the profile 42 aspreviously described. It should be noted that the points of. contact 46 and 4:8 continuously move outwardly along the horizontal plane m and the vertical plane YY as the size of the log increases and the conveyors move outwardly from the axis ZZ in an arcuate path along the axis YY. The distance between the points of contact 48 never exceeds the distance between the contact points 46 With ,this contact arrangement the angular disposition of the conveyors and the force component derived therefrom in the direction outwardly from the jaw-like structure will never be sufiicient to overcome the retaining characteristics of the contact surfaces to cause a log to tend to jump from the conveyor grip. Inasmuch as the conveyors move an equal distance from the axis ZZ the corresponding points of contact are maintained equidistant from that axis, and a log maintained therebetween will be coaxial with the axis of rotation of the debarker device 14. With the support members 32 disposed behind the belts 34, the flights 36 are maintained coplanar and the extended contact surface 38 defined by the flights 36 will tend to grip the log on an extended longitudinal length. This will provide a positive grip and prevent the log from rotating or oscillating about its axis due to the forces of the debarking device acting on its irregular surfaces.

While we have shown and described a specific form of the invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A conveying device for a log debarker having a debarker mechanism adapted to rotate about an axis, a pair of arms adapted to pivot about axes substantially parallel to each other and to the axis of rotation of said mechanism, each arm having a conveyor at the end thereof with the conveyors positioned relative to each other for receiving therebetween and guiding logs of different diameters to be debarked, log contacting surfaces on the conveyors movable in a direction parallel to the axis of said mechanism, said conveyors being movable toward and away from each other about the pivot axes of said arms, and means interconnecting said arms such that pivotal movement of one arm is transmitted to the other to maintain an equal distance between each of said conveyors and the axis of said mechanism, said contacting surfaces each having an irregularly stepped profile with first log contact points disposed on the side adjacent the arm pivot axes of a plane containing the axis of said mechanism and being parallel to a second plane through the arm pivot axes, and corresponding second log contact points disposed on the other side of the first said plane, the distance between the first contact points of the contacting surfaces of the conveyors being at least as large as the distance between the corresponding second contact points and the relative positions of said contact points to each other being such that a log received therebetween is maintained substantially coaxial with the axis of rotation of said mechanism.

2. A conveying device for a log debarker having a debarker mechanism adapted to rotate about an axis, a pair of arms adapted to pivot about axes substantially parallel to each other and to the axis of rotation of said mechanism, each arm having a conveyor at the end thereof with the conveyors positioned relative to each other for receiving therebetween and guiding logs of different diameters to be debarked, log contacting surfaces on the conveyors movable in a direction parallel to the axis of said mechanism, said conveyors being movable toward and away from each other about the pivot axes of said arms, and means interconnecting said arms such that pivotal movement of one arm is transmitted to the other to maintain an equal distance between each of said conveyors and the axis of said mechanism, said contacting surfaces each having irregularly stepped profiles with at least one point of contact for a log on each side of a first plane containing the axis of said mechanism and being parallel to a second plane through the arm pivot axes, said points of contact moving progressively away from the first said plane as the conveyors move progressively away from each other in arcuate paths along the first said plane to engage logs of progressively increasing diameter and to maintain the log so engaged substantially coaxial with the axis of said mechanism.

3. A conveying device for a log debarker including a debarking mechanism adapted to rotate about a first axis, a pair of conveyors in face to face relation, one of said conveyors being movable about a second axis and the other conveyor being movable about a third axis, the second and third axes being equidistant from said first axis in the same direction in one plane and in opposite directions in a plane transverse to the first plane, and the second and third axes being parallel to one another and to the first axis, means interconnecting said conveyors such that movement of one of said conveyors about its axis causes similar movement of the other, said conveyors each having a log contacting face with an irregular profile and being movable in a direction parallel to the first axis, said profile having at least one point of contact for a log disposed on each side of a plane containing the first axis and parallel to a second plane through the second and third axes, the points of contact on the side of the first said plane closer to the second and third axes being at least as far from the first axis as the other of said points of contact on the other side of the first said plane, the relative positions of said points of contact to each other being such that a log received between the conveyors is maintained coaxial with said first axis.

4. A jaw-like conveyor device adapted to receive substantially circular members of varying diameters and to feed them lengthwise, comprising arms having adjacent pivoted ends and ends adapted to move toward and away from each along paths of intersecting arcs in a common plane, and conveyors carried on the movable arm ends and having gripping surfaces of unsymmetrically arched concave cross section including outer and inner portions, with the outer portion of each such surface following a generally steeper curve than the inner portion.

5. A conveying device adapted to receive substantially circular members of varying diameters and to feed them lengthwise, comprising arms having adjacent pivoted ends and free ends adapted to swing apart, and a pair of endless conveyors carried at the free ends, said conveyors having gripping surfaces of unsymmetrically concave cross section each with an outer edge and an edge opposite thereto, said surfaces being steeper toward the outer edges than at the opposite edges relative to the plane of the arms.

6. A feed mechanism for cylindrical members of various diameters to be fed to a rotating cutter, comprising a pair of endless belt type conveyors positioned in approximate face to face relation and movable toward and away from each other along paths of intersecting arcs in a common plane, each conveyor having log gripping elements each with a generally concave and irregularly shaped gripping surface including an outer portion and an inner portion, the outer portion of each surface being generally steeper than the inner portion.

7. A conveyor having rolling elements in spaced relation'one to the other, a pair of belt members encircling said rolling elements and spaced from one another, a plurality of spaced flights positioned transverse to said belt members and connected to one of said belt members at each of its ends, said flights having a contact face including an irregular profile, said flights being formed to provide a center portion coextensive with said profile such that the center mass of said flight is substantially coplanar with said belt members to minimize the tendency of said flights to cock.

8. A grip element for a conveyor having a contact face with a plurality of contact points forming a concave stepped profile centrally located on said face, said profile terminating at an uppermost point at one end thereof and having a lowermost point offset from the center of said grip element in the direction of the uppermost point, said profile formed by at least two stepped surfaces with the contact points located on radii of different lengths, one of said surfaces extending from the lowermost point to the uppermost point and having transcribed about at least one contact point located on the smaller radii, and the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Evans May 20, 1930 Seeley Apr. 18, 1933 6 Arnold Mar. 23, 1943 Guillemont June 29, 1954 Laughton Jan. 29, 1957 Lefller June 4, 1957 Nicholson Jan. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia June 11, 1958 

